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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — wild animals
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. net — after costs
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pound — a weight
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — in sport
  18. drill — army training
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com